Sheba Intelligence sources report masked special forces in Al-Hazm, reinforcements to Al-Maraziq, Al-Labanat and Al-Rayyan, as tribes claim downing reconnaissance drones in Al-Rayyan

      Special sources told Sheba Intelligence that the Houthi group has launched a new wave of military reinforcements into Yemen’s northern Al-Jawf governorate, including missile movements, special forces, and an air-defense deployment, amid rising tensions around the tribal encampments in Al-Rayyan.

The developments came as media outlets affiliated with the tribal encampments published videos they said showed tribesmen downing Houthi reconnaissance drones in the Al-Rayyan area.

According to Sheba Intelligence sources, the Houthis reinforced Al-Hazm, the capital of Al-Jawf governorate, with special forces deployed on nearly 40 military pickups, including masked fighters. The move points to a growing security and intelligence dimension in the group’s handling of the tribal mobilization in the province.

The sources said the Houthis also sent five military vehicles to Al-Yatmah, while more than 12 missiles were transferred to the areas of Al-Mahashimah and Al-Khanjar, both located within a sensitive military belt connected to Al-Jawf’s active fronts and nearby tribal mobilization zones.

The same sources added that Houthi reinforcements entering Al-Jawf’s fronts were distributed across several axes, including 12 vehicles carrying fighters to Al-Maraziq, 12 vehicles to Al-Labanat, and 10 vehicles to Al-Rayyan. The pattern suggests an attempt to tighten pressure around areas of tribal tension and prevent the mobilization from expanding into broader fronts.

In a notable development, the sources said the Houthis transferred a Saqr-2 air-defense system to Kitaf in Saada governorate. The move may reflect the group’s concern over possible aerial targeting or its need to protect military movements and supply routes between Saada and Al-Jawf.

The latest developments follow days of escalating tension around the Al-Rayyan encampments, which have turned into a growing center of tribal mobilization against the Houthis. Local observers say the reported downing of reconnaissance drones, if further verified, would mark a shift from symbolic tribal mobilization to a more sensitive field confrontation, especially as the Houthis rely heavily on drones to monitor tribal gatherings, movements of local leaders, and armed mobilization.

Sheba Intelligence had previously reported that the Houthis pushed reinforcements toward Bir Al-Maraziq and deployed mortar units near Al-Khanjar and Jabal Al-Rayyan, alongside intelligence arrangements aimed at penetrating the Al-Rayyan encampments from within and igniting tribal revenge disputes to contain the gathering without entering a direct large-scale confrontation.

Previous Sheba Intelligence reports also linked the expansion of the tribal nakf in Al-Rayyan to Houthi fears that the encampments could evolve into a broader armed tribal uprising inside Al-Jawf.

The crisis has been building against the backdrop of growing tribal anger over Houthi policies toward local tribes, including arrests, coercive security measures, violations of tribal customs, and the rising authority of Houthi supervisors at the expense of traditional tribal leaders.

According to local assessments, the Houthis fear that the continuation of the Al-Rayyan encampments could create a model that may be replicated in other tribal areas, particularly in Al-Jawf, Marib and Saada, where tribal networks remain capable of rapid mobilization if a local dispute turns into a wider cause against the group’s authority.

The map of the latest reinforcements indicates that the Houthis are not treating Al-Rayyan as an isolated incident, but rather as part of a broader threat that could connect Al-Jawf, Saada and Marib. The deployment of forces to Al-Hazm, Al-Maraziq, Al-Labanat and Al-Rayyan, combined with the transfer of missiles to Al-Mahashimah and Al-Khanjar, suggests an attempt to build a military belt around the areas of tension and restrict the tribes’ freedom of movement.

The transfer of an air-defense system to Kitaf adds a strategic layer to these movements, as the area serves as one of the key military and logistical corridors between Saada and Al-Jawf and could be used by the Houthis as a rear base in any potential escalation.

Observers believe the Houthis may prefer, at this stage, to combine limited military pressure, intelligence penetration, and tribal mediation rather than enter a wide confrontation that could give the encampments greater tribal legitimacy. However, the continued flow of reinforcements, the use of reconnaissance drones, and the movement of missiles near active lines of tension all suggest that the group is preparing for a worse-case scenario if containment efforts fail.

The field information still requires further independent verification. However, its timing, together with the videos showing the alleged downing of drones and Sheba Intelligence’s earlier reports on Houthi military moves in Al-Jawf, strengthens the impression that the governorate has entered a new phase of open escalation, with the Al-Rayyan encampments now at the center of Houthi security and military calculations.